This master’s thesis in ethnology aim to enlighten the driving forces behind why a local football club, in a segregated residential area, outside of Stockholm in Sweden, chooses to develop its association in a more social direction. This is a cultural study of why football, as a cultural phenomenon, is expected to be able to solve social problems, and more generally how is sport considered a tool and a solution to social problems? Why is football expected to be able to solve segregation in a socio-economically vulnerable areas, of those who lead the sports activities? The empirical material of this essay has been collected through oral interviews from leaders of the association and government officials. Material from the association's development documents, state active board members from the association, government documents, and news articles have also been analyzed. By using the Political Discourse Theory by Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe (2008 [1985]), the situations for how the sports activities have been designed can be seen as made in relation to the general hegemonic discourse on the social benefits of sport. It is also possible to discover how government grants work as guidelines and point out what the sports movement should perform under state supervision. Logics of Critical Explanation in Social and Political Theory (2007), by Jason Glynos and David Howarth, are used in the analysis and especially their fantasmatic logic has given this study an insight into the idea or perception that football leaders have of the outside world, in this case the idea of the social benefit of sport. Which in turn can explain why they in turn invest their commitment in and attract their drive from these ideas because the conviction is about being able to change the socio-economic situation in their local area. In the end, however, it turns out that neither sport nor football alone cannot serve as the solution in the fight against child poverty, criminal activity, and segregation. Sport’s simply does not have all the characteristics required to reform, challenge, or question a social order created or even built on inequality and segregation. But this in no way takes sport into account in contexts where it can socially contribute to a community that can play a significant role for its participants in their everyday lives.

The purpose of this study is to, within an artistic process, investigate a dance practice and how the process is enriched by the interaction with three experts within the field of dance pedagogy. Furthermore, it discusses aspects from the process that can be applied in dance education. Methods that are used is autoethnographic perspectives and self-reflective writing in the studio before inviting experts to three unique practical interviews. The results are an intense movement analysis from the work in the studio and deep interaction on the work with three interviews that highlight things such as bodily exploration, musicality and reflection on practice. The study’s conclusion is that a method for ballet class inspired by Creative movement can enrich dance education with reflexivity, but the study also highlights the importance of repetition of movement. / <p>En praktisk föreläsning av arbetet hölls 16 maj i studio 16 på Brinellvägen 58.</p>

This study focuses on the semi-subterranean houses in northern Sweden, specifically in the counties Jämtland, Västerbotten and Västernorrland. The semi-subterranean houses were usedby hunter-gatherers and the houses date to the end of the Mesolithic and the Neolithic. In this study two separate types of semi-subterranean houses are being investigated. Both types of semi-subterranean houses are categorized as ‘settlement embankments’ (Sw. boplatsvall). Within the study one type is called ‘embankments of fire-cracked stones’ (Sw. skärvstensvall) which are situated in the interior part of Norrland, and the other type is called ‘embankmentsof gravel/sand’ (Sw. grusvall) which are mainly found in the coastal areas of Norrland. The purpose of this study is to investigate the number of individuals residing within the semi-subterranean houses. Cross-cultural studies based on ethnographic material is used to calculate how many individuals lived in each house. The cross-cultural study of floor area has resulted in a mean of how much space (6.1 m2) a prehistoric human needs in a dwelling. This number is used to calculate the number of individuals that lived in each house based on the size of the floor area. Another purpose of this study is to investigate if there are any differences between the embankments of fire-cracked stone and the embankments of gravel/sand. Are they simply different construction techniques or are there any other differences between them, such as size, social structure and chronology.

This thesis brings together a fascination with the city and a keen interest in the knowledge process. The point of departure is the bodily, sensory and emotional experience. That the author uses her own perceptions and experiences and is preoccupied with her own knowledge process means that she writes herself into an autoethnographic context. She also experiments with the writing and allows it to take on a more literary form as she writes about her own sensory impressions and feelings. The term rhythmanalysis is employed as a way of assessing, exploring, interpreting and understanding the world that embraces the embodied experience. Human beings are embodied beings, a claim we can make by referring to our own experiences as well as how we perceive, communicate and interact. The study delves into two aspects of rhythmanalysis, first as a way of describing the knowledge process as rhythm-analytical, which implies that bodily experiences are equally important as intellectual ones, and secondly as a way of talking about the city as polyrhythmic. It follows upon the latter that embodied rhythmanalysis of the city is possible. The rhythmanalysis may ultimately be seen as a project aimed at overthrowing the Cartesian dualism between body and mind. That we are embodied has a methodological consequence that is as simple as it is essential: the scholar exists in the world she studies. The researcher is not a neutral observer. She is a co-creator. She is a body, placed in time, space and history. She is situated, which means that her knowledge is also situated. Thus, the rhythmanalysis encompasses the body, the senses and feelings, and can be described with one key word: movement. It finds support in theories that acknowledge the fluid, the becoming, the situated, the performative, the relational, the dynamic, the material. It seeks methods that experiment, that focus on practices rather than discourses, that are preoccupied with a movable world rather than a static one.

This thesis addresses the socio-cultural configurations in Liberia in relation to climate resilient development and feminist foreign policy carried out by the Embassy of Sweden in Monrovia. It builds on the intention to explore potential points of integration between the feminist foreign policy with the construction of climate adaptation capacity. Research on climate adaptation actions demonstrates the need to engage more deeply with vulnerability contexts and embed the implementation process in local practice, value and experience. This study explores Liberian society as a case study to examine how feminist foreign policy and climate resilient development can be incorporated fit to the socio-cultural configurations. Methodologically, the study adopts an ethnographic framework. It draws on Butler’s performative notion of gender (1990, 1999, 2007) and ecological masculinities developed by Hultman and Pulé (2021) along with theories of environmental femininity by Bob Pease (2019). Empirically, the study is based on fieldwork in the form of participant observation, ethnographic interviews and document analysis.The results suggest that socio-cultural configurations are permeated by a patriarchal structure with traditional beliefs that householding tasks are linked to female obligations, leading to a disparity in responsibilities and accessibility to cultural activities. Stereotypical notions of masculinity are based on heteronormative assumptions that men should demonstrate dominance, self-reliance, and restrain emotions. The empirical work signifies that Liberian norms of masculinity lead to a reluctance to cooperativeness, block societal development and lead to unnecessary individual suffering. The culture is concluded to be centered around men, while women take a larger workload in key societal activities. Citizens experience that the state doesn't recognize them as equal participants, therefore forfeiting the opportunity to foster vital social capital that could enhance both state legitimacy and the effectiveness of public service delivery. The results illustrate the importance of considering citizens of marginalized areas as stakeholders in decision-making to enable engagement in development processes. Citizens from marginalized areas have their own underlying logic and views of the world. The thesis concludes that the socio-cultural configurations not just produce possible integration between climate resilient development and feminist foreign policy, but even forces the two to be pursued as interdependent processes. Advancing climate resilient development and feminist foreign policy in an integrated manner is thought to increase each other’s effectiveness and achieving them is possible when interdependence is leveraged. This thesis argues that the inauguration of female leadership and changing the perception of what masculinity stands for are the most distinctive points of integration in Liberian socio-cultural configurations. The thesis concludes seven possible procedures for the Embassy of Sweden in Monrovia to achieve climate resilient development aligned with the existing feminist objectives: 1. Include landownership in female empowerment strategies. 2. Transform masculinity normsthrough consultation-groups. 3. Focus on family configurations. 4. Work with religious leaders. 5.Embed policies in informal networks. 6. Encourage female-centered cultural activities and 7. Benefiton the knowledge of grassroots organizations to adopt an ethnographic approach. / Det här examensarbetet behandlar sociokulturella konfigurationer i Liberia och undersöker hur de kan relateras till klimatresilient utveckling och den feministiska utrikespolitik som bedrivs av Sveriges ambassad i Monrovia. Arbetet utforskar potentiella integrationsmöjligheter mellan feministiska utrikespolitik och lokal anpassning till klimatförändringar. Tidigare forskning om klimatanpassningsåtgärder visar behovet av att engagera sig i utsatta områden och förankra implementeringsprocessen i lokala erfarenheter, värderingar och beteendemönster. Med det i åtanke intenderar studien att undersöka det liberianska samhället som en fallstudie för attanalysera hur feministisk utrikespolitik och klimatresilient utveckling kan integreras med sociokulturella konfigurationer. Metodologiskt antar studien ett etnografiskt förhållningssätt där det empiriska arbetet består av fältarbete i form av deltagande observation, etnografiska intervjuer och dokumentanalys. Det teoretiska ramverket på Butlers performativa föreställning om kön (1990,1999, 2007), ekologiska maskuliniteter formulerade av Hultman och Pulé (2021) och teorier om miljöfeminism av Bob Pease (2019).Resultaten illustrerar att de sociokulturella konfigurationerna genomsyras av en patriarkal struktur som innefattar traditionella ideér om att hushållssysslor är kopplat till kvinnligt åliggande, vilket i förlängningen leder till skillnader i ansvarstagande för samhälleliga aktiviteter. Stereotypa föreställningar om maskulinitet bygger på heteronormativa antaganden om att män bör visa dominans, självtillit och emotionell tillbakadragenhet. Det empiriska arbetet påvisar att liberianska maskulinitetsnormer leder till en motvilja mot samarbete, blockerar samhällsutveckling och bidrar till onödigt lidande både för män och kvinnor. Kulturen anses vara centrerad kring män, medan kvinnor tar en större arbetsbörda i flertalet viktiga samhällsfunktioner. Resultaten visar också att medborgare upplever att staten inte ser dem som likvärdiga deltagare i samhällsprocesser. Därmed försummas en möjlighet att skapa socialt kapital som kan främja statens legitimitet och effektivitet i offentliga tjänster. Resultaten antyder att medborgare från marginaliserade områden har en egen bakomliggande logik och syn på världen. Dessa medborgare bör betraktas som viktiga intressenter i beslutsfattande för att möjliggöra engagemang i utvecklingsprocesser. Arbetet drar slutsatsen att de sociokulturella konfigurationerna inte bara producerar en möjlighet för integrering mellan klimatresilient utveckling och feministisk utrikespolitik, utan även tvingar de att implementeras som två ömsesidigt beroende processer. Att främja klimatresilient utveckling och feministisk utrikespolitik på ett integrerat sätt anses öka varandras effektivitet och att uppnå dem är möjligt först när beroendet utnyttjas. Arbetet framhåller att en ökning av kvinnliga ledare och att förändra bilden av vad maskulinitet innebär är distinkta möjligheter för att integrera klimatresilientutveckling och feministisk utrikespolitik i de liberianska sociokulturella konfigurationer. Arbetetringar in sju möjliga riktlinjer för Sveriges ambassad i Monrovia för att uppnå klimatresilientutveckling med befintliga feministiska mål:1. Inkludera markägande i strategier för jämställdhet. 2. Ändra maskulinitetsnormer genom konsultationsgrupper. 3. Fokusera på familjekonfigurationer. 4. Arbeta med religiösa ledare. 5.Förankra policies i informella nätverk. 6. Främja kvinnocentrerad kulturverksamhet och 7. Antag ett etnografiskt förhållningssätt i samråd med gräsrotsorganisationer.